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Geneviève Aubuchon
'''Geneviève Aubuchon' (born Miguen; c. 1747 – April 14, 1808) was the younger sister of Chegual. Following their parents' deaths, they were taken in by Claire Pastorel. In 1759, Geneviève and her family continued to live in Québec while the British laid siege to it. Biography Early life She was born around 1747 to Abenaki (Alnanbal) parents. Her mother named her Miguen, meaning "feather". She had a brother Chegual, who was four years older. When she was five-years-old, she and her brother were the only survivors of an attack on their village. They were later found by voyageurs, who brought them to Québec. Claire Pastorel and her husband Jacques Aubuchon adopted the children. The same year M. Jacques died, Geneviève began her education with the Ursuline nuns at seven-years-old. In the summer of 1757, Chegual and his friend Étienne L'Aubépine ran away to join the Abenaki at the St. Francis mission. British siege In the spring of 1759, Chegual and Étienne returned to Québec with a party of Abenaki. They stayed at Madame Claire's home, where they slept in the kitchen. Chegual attempted several times to convince Geneviève to leave the city with him due to the oncoming threat of British invasion. However, she did not wish to abandon Mme Claire and Mère Esther. Chegual then agreed to remain with her, saying "you may be choosing death, sister. If that is so, I will die with you." The British warships reached a nearby river the following June. Just a few weeks later, they began attacking the city with, forcing Geneviève and her family to evacuate. They then relocated to Mme Claire's other house, which was further away from the harbor. In September, Geneviève lost contact with Chegual and Étienne, after the British won an important battle and Québec surrendered. Several days later, Chegual was brought to the monastery. Geneviève carefully took care of his wounds at Hôtel-Dieu. After learning about Étienne's death, Geneviève grew to hate the British, directing some of this hate toward a wounded Scotsman at the hospital. She confessed her feelings to Père Segard and he assigned her penance. Geneviève was ordered to nurse the Scotsman, named Andrew Doig. He was later billeted at her house. She resented Andrew at first, but gradually warmed up to him. They became close friends as they realized they were not too different from each other. December 1760 In early December 1760, Geneviève went to Montréal for the funeral of Mme Claire's uncle. In his will, he bequeathed a slave, Pìtku, to his niece. On the way back home, he ran away, but Chegual and Andrew later found that he had followed them to Québec. Geneviève worried about Pìtku since he would not speak and could only communicate with Chegual via sign language. On New Years Day, Andrew surprised Geneviève with a crèche that he made with Pìtku and Chegual. Pìtku then spoke his first words to Geneviève. Later life Geneviève continued volunteering at the Ursuline school and hospital for several years. In 1763, Andrew proposed to her, before sailing to France in order to settle his grandfather's will. They were married two years later on June 7, 1765. They built a home "on the ruins of her girlhood home", which Mme Claire gave them. Andrew soon established a publishing business up the street. They had a total of six children, Étienne, David, Guillaume, Seamus, John, and Jeanette, from 1767 to 1785. In 1807, the family business was left to their eldest son. The following spring, the couple went on a vacation to Scotland. Geneviève and Andrew died of pneumonia hours within each other on April 14, 1808. Physical appearance Geneviève described her face as distinctly Abenaki, which became more pronounced as she aged. She had black hair, "tawny skin and dark eyes." Another striking trait were the tattoos on her arms, usually covered by clothing. Tattoos were an Abenaki custom and she would have had more if she had not been orphaned and raised by Mme Clair. Personality and traits In general, she was a kind, thoughtful person. After Québec was conquered, she began to harbor resentment towards the British, extending this hatred to Scots as well. However, this was just Geneviève's response to losing her friend. She was eventually able to properly grieve. Geneviève had some experience with healing from helping out at Hôtel-Dieu. She enjoyed reading and writing. Geneviève was proficient in French and Abenaki, and spoke a little English. Family tree Behind the scenes *Geneviève is the main character of Maxine Trottier's The Death of My Country. *She is also featured in the short story "These Three Gifts" in A Christmas to Remember. Appearances *''The Death of My Country'' *''A Christmas to Remember'' References Category:A to Z Category:Females Category:Characters Category:Dear Canada Category:Dear Canada characters Category:The Death of My Country Category:The Death of My Country characters Category:A Christmas to Remember Category:A Christmas to Remember characters